Final Fantasy VII: Dark Genovis
by LASTkNIGHT
Summary: Tifa died saving Aeris at the lost City of the Ancients. How will this affect the world of FF7? What new threats will AVALANCHE face? And how will they stop Meteor from destroying the planet? Please R
1. Rescues Sacrifices and GoodByes

**AUTHOR'S NOTE (to the two of you out there who are reading this =)) Normally coming from a hiatus like this one, I'd like to have something truly epic to present to you. But alas, life doesn't alway give you what you want. For a while I thought my computer would never even work again - and I can only upload at the library so... Anyway, the reason I'm not happy with this chapter is because it has the major plot thread of the first game with almost none of my new ideas. I hope you enjoy revisiting it anyway. And would like to point out that in the next three or four chapters the story will change drastically in ways you couldn't imagine but I think you'll enjoy.**

As Cloud approached the alter he began to get the sickening feeling that something was wrong. Something within himself, something to do with Sephiroth. 'Whatever happens next' he thought, 'it's not going to end well.'

"Aeris..." A beautiful bright light shone down on her like an angel. Her hands cusped together, as if in prayer. Cloud jumped to the first platform. Barret was anxious to follow, but Cloud put up his hand. He had seen Sephiroth in his visions as well, so it might be dangerous, and he wasn't about to risk anyone else getting hurt.

"Let me go with you." Tifa insisted. She wanted to make sure there were as many people around as possible, in case something went wrong. To protect him... from himself.

"I'm gonna check it out, just wait here." he told them.

As Cloud got closer to Aeris, the sickening feeling got worse. He shook his head in frustration. This has to be Sephiroth.

RED

All at once a stream of hatred poured through his body. He couldn't control himself. And all he could think about was violence. He drew his sword.

NO

Violence wasn't all he could think about - there was something else, something stronger - peaceful; Aeris. He struggled against it when his arms lifted the blade above his head. 'No, stop it.' He thought. But he couldn't struggle when the sharp edge of the blade came down at her head. As quick as he could swing it.

"Cloud!" "Stop!"

Barret and Tifa yelled from across the room.

Somehow, by some miracle, their words made him snap out of it.

"Ugh...what are you making me do." He dropped the sword at his side. How could he...

Tifa moved toward the platform, but Barret grabbed her by the arm, shaking his head. There was no way she wasn't going up there now, she knew this would happen. She had to look out for them.

"I have to go up there. Aeris isn't safe."

"Careful..." Barret told her, putting his arms up.

She gave a nod, "I'll be alright." reassuring him, she jumped the platforms until she was on the other side... "Cloud?"

He was staring at Aeris, a guilty look on his face. Then as the light grew brighter; Aeris looked up at him with glowing eyes, and smiled.

The dark figure of Sephiroth descended from the heavens, both hands clasped around his Masumane pointed straight down, headed for Aeris.

There was no time to think "AERIS!" Tifa pushed Aeris forward; she landed with her right arm wrapped around the outer edge of the alter. Tifa tumbled to her knees. Their eyes had just enough time to meet, and Sephiroth's sword plunged into Tifa's heart.

As he withdrew the blade, the sandy sound of her glove scratched across the smooth surface of the floor, her not yet lifeless body leaned forward, Cloud was able to catch her before she landed. Cradling her head in his arms, she died there looking up at him. It can't be!

"...Tifa"

"Oh my god." Aeris said from behind Sephiroth, who had his arms outstretched like wings.

"This can't be real!" Cloud's eyes filled with tears.

"Do not worry." Sephiroth told him, "Soon the girl will become part of the Planet's energy. All that is left is to go North. The 'Promised Land' waits for me over the snowy fields. There I will become a new being by uniting with the planet. As will this girl..."

"...Shut up." Cloud said in hatred, under his breath. "The cycle of nature and your stupid plan don't mean a thing. Tifa is gone. Tifa will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry......or get angry......" his head drifted back toward her, he looked into her soft, motionless, face, and it made him feel weak. "What about us..... What are WE supposed to do?" his head dropped, "What about my pain." He let go of her, gently. "My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!" He shook uncontrollably.

"What are you saying?" Sephiroth asked him "Are you trying to tell me you have feelings too?"

He stood up instantly, angrily, - confronting Sephiroth. "Of course! Who do you think I am!?"

A great laughter grew bellowing through the hollow room. "Ha,ha,ha....... Stop acting as if you were sad. There's no need to act as though you're angry either.

Because," he raises his arms once again, floating through the air, "Cloud. You are..."

He tossed a piece of Jenova, flying away. The relatively small fragment grew into a massive beast. Flesh of purple and pink, with vampiric teeth, and glowing red eyes. It's back littered with wing and tentacle like appendages.

Cloud lifted his sword. Holding it out with one arm. His eyes pierced the hollow reds of Jenova's 'face' and before he knew it, so did his sword. He slashed and jabbed repeatedly with nothing but the sound of tearing flesh and crackling bone filling his senses, blinded by blood and rage. He tore the monster to pieces. Until the only thing left was smoldering aggregation of indistinct pulp. He dropped his sword, and kneeled over Tifa once again.

"Because," Cloud heared an intersex voice say - 'Jenova' he thought to himself, "you are...... a puppet."

"I'm...... a puppet?" He looked at his hands in silent acknowledgement. They're covered in Jenova's stagnant ooze like blood. He quickly removed his gloves. Bunching them up and tossing them to the ground. Then he lifted Tifa up propping her into a seated position, so that everyone could say their good-byes.

The original separated members of the group all come to the alter, one by one.

Cait Sith is first. Not knowing what else to do - or hoping something can lighten the mood. He does a prayer dance in the hopes Tifa will return safely to the planet. Then he moped away. Unsure if he helped anything.

Vincent looked at Cloud, then at Tifa. He couldn't possibly shoulder any more pain. He felt nothing, on the surface at least.

Cid looked curiously at her, himself finding little room for pain, but it's there. He looked above him, into the light. 'You're going were I always wanted to live my life.' He thought. 'To the skies for you. Maybe this is better than a %&#*% world of pain.'

Red XIII moved slowly to her, he was the only one of them already at eye level. It put him in an awkward position. He could see the stillness. It reminded him of his father Seto, the pain welled up inside him and he let out a mighty howl. His walk away from the alter is made difficult by numbness in his legs. Overpowered by emotions, it almost causes him to collapse.

Yuffie regrets looking at her, this was her friend and now she was gone. It settled in. She couldn't retain the bawling, the tears flowed down her face, mucus from her nostrils. Embarrassed and afraid, feeling weak and now, lonely, she tried to wipe them away. Tried to 'be strong'. Like Tifa would tell her. But she couldn't. Cloud placed a hand on her shoulder. The recognition of her pain caused fear to burst from the seems - or maybe just more pain. - Fear of more pain. She couldn't take the onslaught of uncertainty, she fled from the room.

Barret kneeled down to look her in the face. He moved the hair from her eye. 'So much for so little.' He thought. 'Biggs, Wedge, Jessie... Tifa' He couldn't retain the thought, it was as if the idea of it was impossible. 'Wake up...' he thought to himself. 'Wake up!' Why couldn't she - why wouldn't she? She was stronger than this! 'WAKE UP!' He stood and fired his gun into the air, a barrage of bullets tore through the wooden pieces of the alter falling on top of him. He didn't care. He breathed heavily, thinking about how unfair all this shit was. Cloud placed a hand on his back as well. Barret shrugged it off. Almost out of anger. Then he was whisked away by it.

Aeris removed the white materia from her hair, placing it in the front pocket of her bolero. She then untied her ribbon, letting her hair flow out. She watched the ribbon, as if it were going to do something. It had been with her nearly as long as she could remember. She knelt down over Tifa tying that pink ribbon in a bow around her neck. Then she let her head cuddle up to hers. Stroking her hair gently. 'Goodbye' She thought. But unlike the others she did not feel empty. She knew that Tifa would live on. Her sadness came because she would miss her friend, but not because she was gone.

Outside the city, Cloud held Tifa in his arms over the lake. Just in front of him is an underwater Canyon. Wrapped in one of their blankets, Tifa looked even more like she was sleeping. Cloud looked into her closed eyes one final time, before allowing her to drift to the bottom of the lake. Her ponytail slipped away from it's bind, and her hair flowed out like an angel. It was the last image he saw of his childhood friend. His love.

Tifa


	2. Inn Fighting

Cloud and the others gathered in a small hut a ways from the lake. They were all silent. And all but three of them were sitting, Cloud, Barret, and Vincent. Cloud had himself centered in the room, ready to address the group.

"Everyone, listen to me. I'm Cloud, ex-SOLDIER, born in Nibelheim. I came to settle up with Sephiroth."

"I heard that before." Cid muttered under his breath.

"I came here by my own free will... Or so I thought. However... ...To tell the truth, I'm afraid of myself. ...There is a part of me that I don't understand. That part that made me give the Black Materia to Sephiroth. If you hadn't stopped me, Aeris might have been... ...There's something inside of me. A person who is not really me. That's why I should quit this journey. Before I do something terrible. But I am going." he shook his fist angrily "He destroyed my hometown five years ago, killed Tifa, and is now trying to destroy the Planet. I'll never forgive... Sephiroth. I... I must go on. ... I have a favor to ask of you. Will you all come with me? ...to save me from doing something terrible."

"I will." Aeris said from her cot. "I knew something terrible was going to happen here. But I never thought..." 'anyone but me would get hurt.' she thought. "I want to make sure this doesn't happen again."

Cloud could think only about how all this could have been avoided. How it was all pointless and empty, what had Aeris been doing up on that altar anyway? "Aeris?"

She perked up, "Hmm."

"How were you planning to stop Sephiroth from using Meteor?"

She shook her head, "I don't know." She reached into her pocket taking out the White Materia. "I kept hearing my mother's voice telling me to use this. That if I did it would save the planet...... but nothing happened. Maybe it is useless after all."

"WHAT THE HELL!" Barret said flailing his arms, "That ain't no kinda answer! You mean Tifa's dead because of some piece of crap rock! If you hadn't been up on that alter when --" he began to realize Aeris risked her life trying to save the planet using methods that weren't certain. But he couldn't believe Tifa died over something so stupid, and it was hard not to blame Aeris for that. But he knew it wasn't really her fault. 'Why couldn't things have been different.' "...I keep losing everybody." Barret thought aloud. Then he left the hut to go get some air.

Cloud was about to follow when Vincent's voice came from the corner of the room. "Let him go, everyone needs their time away from the living to reflect on the dead. He needs it more than any of us. The dead surround him."

"Why are you so goddamn morbid all the time!?" Cid demanded. Vincent did not answer.

"Can we not talk about this?" Yuffie said, holding a very annoyed Cait Sith. She had him in her lap like a kid holding a stuffed animal when they're bored or - as in this case - upset. After frequent, non-verbal, objections she placed him back on the Mog.

"We need to get to Sephiroth before he uses the Black Materia." Cloud; cutting to the point, "That's what we should be focusing on right now."

Barret was ahead of them as they came out. The Cetra's road was in a cross section and he stood at the edge of it, his back facing towards the rest of the group. Aeris walked past them, when she came to Cloud she said, "I'm going to go see about Barret."

Then she went to confide in him.

She stopped behind him. Uncertain of what to say. She didn't want to upset him - but she didn't want him to be upset. So she figured she had to say something. She leaned around his back, trying to look at him. "I'm sorry..."

He turned around, "Hell no you're not! - " His energy nearly knocked her off her feet "I'm sorry. You got nothin' to be sorry about. After what you did for Marlene I - I didn't have the right to say those things... It's not your fault. I've been thinkin' about the wrong things... That Tifa died for nothin'. Tifa died for you. She died to protect you - that ain't nothing. I'd die for you" he confessed. "Because...... Maybe you're here for a reason, to save the planet."

She shrugged one shoulder and gave an awkward half smile, "...I don't know." She couldn't help but doubt it. "I'm just a flower girl." Her eyes fell to her feet.

"Yeah, and I'm just a bartender." he said looking out passed the rocky terrain. Wishing it were all that simple. He never really was. But as a freedom fighting terrorist, he found himself wishing he was his alter ego.

"Hey," she smiled soothingly, putting up her hand, "We're going to do this."

"Right!" He said twisting the top of his gun arm. Then they joined the rest of the group.

"We're going to split up again." Cloud informed them. "Yuffie and Cid you come with me." Everyone else form you're own groups. Then we'll meet up again when we have the chance."

"Where are we supposed to be going?" Yuffie asked him.

"Whichever way Sephiroth went." He told her.

"Which way _did_ Sephiroth go?" Aeris wondered.

Just then a penetrating high pitched hum broke through Cloud's head. It nearly caused him to collapse. And the color around everything began to bleed away. He saw a ghostly vision of Sephiroth walking away from the city. Then it subsided and he was back to normal.

"You all right." Red XIII asked, worried.

"Hmmm... Sephiroth said to me... Head North.........past the Snowy Fields......"

"Damn" they all looked to Cid, wondering what the declaration was for. "...It's cold enough already."

As they split away Aeris approached Cloud. "Why can't I go with you?"

"Cid and Yuffie are probably the least likely to be identified by Shinra's troops. It'll be alright I promise. We can't risk getting caught when we're this close."

She understood his logic, and with Barret and Vincent watching over her she'd definitely be safe. 'But what about my bodyguard?' She thought.

After what happened, he was too afraid to keep Aeris close to him. For now he would have to distance himself. Pushing through the icy tundra, he kept Cid and Yuffie with him. A decision he later regretted.

"I bet I'd kick you're old butt!"

"Shut your mouth, girly, you probably never played a game in your life!"

"Come on - rack 'em up! And I'll knock 'em down!"

Pool.

Cid was trying to convince them he was an expert pool player. Yuffie's ego always being at the front end of everything, had to insist that she was better. Even though Cloud was as sure as Cid that she'd never even picked up a cue.

"I'd beat you," she insisted again, "just like I would in a fight!"

They were still miles away from next town and their retarded bickering was getting on Cloud's nerves.

"What's that thing you got called?" Cid asked, "A shuriken ?" He moved his hand toward it trying to take it from her.

"It's not a shuriken!" She said moving it away.

"Well what is it? I want to see it. It's a nice weapon."

"That's not why you want to see it." She pushed a hand against his face trying to keep him away. He finally grabbed hold of it.

"Gimme that! Ha-ha!" he smiled proudly. "Go get it!" He threw it several yards and it landed in the snow. Much to Yuffie's annoyance.

"HEY!" She tossed down her arms with a stiff stance, balling up her fists, and pouting.

She walked all the way out to get it, digging it out of the snow she held it up for Cid to see. He gave a patronizing nod and wave. Then out of her other pocket she held up a red ball. - Summon materia.

Cid immediately grabbed at his pocket. "...Bitch." He pointed at her, which actually scared her a little "THAT'S MINE!" He screamed chasing after her.

"AHHH! I told you I was better!" She said dodging him and smiling. He tackled her into the snow, burying them both. "HEY STOP IT! Help! Someone HELP ME!" Her screams and thrashing movements were greatly exaggerated.

"Gimme that back!" Cid said prying it away from her.

Cloud pulled Cid up by his collar, when Yuffie stood up he pushed her back as well. "Stop it! You two are acting like a bunch of kids!"

"She started it." Cid said pointing the finger.

She pushed his head.

"Knock it off." Cloud demanded.

"Why don't you tell the brat to keep a lid on it?" Cid griped.

"You shut up too." Cloud told him. "I don't want to hear either one of you until we get to town. You got it?" Cid reluctantly swallowed his tongue. Inside his head he was lobbing obscenities at Cloud for telling him what to do. - But hey - he **was** the leader.

Cloud moved ahead of them, but behind; the madness continued, Yuffie punched Cid in the chest, then he punched her back.

"Did I say anything about _talking_? I said I don't want to hear you - at all!"

They restrained themselves.

When they finally got to Icicle Inn, they were completely worn out. Cloud asked the woman at the front desk. "How do you get to the Northern Crater?"

She looked at him strangely. "The only way is down the pass. But no one's permitted to go - it's dangerous."

"Thanks." Cloud almost left but decided against it, "Oh -- Uh, any rooms available?"

"Only two. You three are together?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." - Cloud couldn't figure out what that was supposed to mean. "If you want to sleep, two of you will have to share one." Cloud looked back at Cid and Yuffie.

"Hey Yuffie" Cid said, "What do you call a woman with three breasts? - Added incentive."

"YUck! Pervert."

Cloud came back around to face the woman at the counter, "No I think we're good."


	3. Taken Away

A few hours later the rest of the group makes it into the lodge. Red XIII arrived first. Cloud greeting him, "Hey Red, what's up?"

"I-I-I don't think I'm meant for this kind of...... climate." He says letting out a ferocious sneeze. "I can't feel my nose."

"Hey," some guy with a hostile demeanor; must be the owner, "we don't allow dogs in here?"

Red XIII hung his head, "I'll wait outside."

The rest of them come in after him. "Where the hell's he going?" Barret asks.

"Apparently I'm a dog..." Red XIII scoffs on his way out. 'human's' he thought.

"Where's Cid?" Cait Sith asked.

Downstairs Cid has his headless trident lined up on the table. A rim and pockets formed out of ice magic. Materia lined up on the with numbers painted on them.

He whacks one and sends the ball in front of it flying into a corner pocket. He lets out a victory yell. And a group of men standing near by join in. "Yeah, I told you I was good. Now take you're shot before it melts." He said handing the stick to Yuffie.

"You already took it for me." Yuffie informed him.

"Wha? That was a six. - Right?" He said taking the cigarette out of his mouth.

"No. It was a nine."

"Bullshit!"

"No it was," said a disembodied voice. "I saw it."

"GODDAMN IT! Didn't anybody think to write any lines on the bottoms of those!?"

"You were the one, put the numbers on them." Said the bartender.

"Shut up and serve me my drinks. - Fine it's a scratch, now take your damn shot, girlie."

"YO FOOL, GET YOUR ASS UP HERE! This ain't no vacation." Barret. "There's work to be done!"

"Fine, let's get out of here." Cid said batting Yuffie's arm with his fingers as he moved by. But she was anxious to prove herself.

"Hold on. I want to take my shot." She hit the made-up cue ball and it bounced and ricocheted every ball on the table - other than Cid's - including the eight-ball, all in sequential order, until they were all gone.

Cid's cigarette fell out of his mouth landing into the nearest pocket. "How'd you do that?"

"Ninjitsu!!!" She said posing.

"I get it" Cid said patting her on the head patronizingly, "beginners luck."

When they get to the others, Cloud is talking to a villager about the northern pass. "No, don't!! It's a steep downgrade, past here." The villager told him. "It's dangerous, please don't go!"

"I'm still going." he said without hesitation.

"Damn, I was just being nice... What the - who are those people over there? Looks like trouble!" the villager didn't wait around to find out.

Elena appeared over the horizon followed by over a dozen Shinra soldiers. "There they are, hurry!!"

"YES MA'AM!!"

She raced toward AVALANCHE. Nearly sliding down the snowy slope. "STOP RIGHT THERE, CLOUD! Cloud...huff...wheeze. I won't let you go any further!"

'Why does everyone keep saying that?' he thought. Shrugging, "What's down there?"

"It's a SE-CR-ET. It really doesn't matter! But you really got guts doin' my boss in like that!"

"You mean... Boss?" he had to think for a moment about what she meant, "Tseng? That wasn't us Sephiroth did it."

She couldn't believe he would say such a cowardly thing to save himself, didn't he have any decency. "No! Don't think you can fool me, liar!"

"I'm not lying... It was Sephiroth." He informed her pointedly.

"Don't try to act innocent. I'll never forget it!!"

Cloud couldn't figure out what her problem was - why was she so sure they had anything to do with it. He winced scratching his head, "Oh, man..."

"Looks like talking alone won't cut it. You're going to have to feel some pain! Just you... and me!!"

Cloud scoffed at her anger, "Come on. Let's go." He placed a hand on Aeris' back signaling that it was time to go.

"I have orders to take the Ancient to the President."

Cloud instantly drew his sword. Pointing it at her face. "You're not taking anyone away from here!"

"I've been informed to use deadly force if necessary!"

"Just try!" He said tightening his grip.

"Even if there aren't enough soldiers here to take you down. There are enough for me to fight you off while I take the girl out of here."

"We'll see about that."

BLAM! A bullet caught Barret in the chest, blood ran down the length of his torso as he examined the wound. He looked up. "SNIPER" He said knocking Aeris out of the way. He began firing in the direction of the shot. "Take Aeris and get the HELL out of here!"

A full on battle had broken loose in the small village. Cloud lost his footing at the edge of the slippery pass when Aeris knocked into him. He tried to hold on to her but Elena grabbed hold of her around the waist. He struggled to keep himself up. His feet sliding back with every step.

"If she drops down the pass with you she's likely to die. Fragile as she is."

"Cloud, I can take care of myself... Let go of me." Aeris insisted.

"I have to look after you."

Barret had been caught up in the ensuing firefight, but calm as December forest, a gun found Elena's head. At the other end of that gun was Vincent Valentine. "Give the girl to me." Cloud looked to Vincent for reassurance, he gave it "She'll be safe."

Elena held a hand in front of Cloud's face. "DARKNESS" a black cloud burst from her palm into Cloud's eyes. Causing him to lose his grip on Aeris. He slid down the icy slope blinded.

Vincent's sight was lost as well, he still had his gun drawn, but was afraid of firing it, for fear of hitting someone innocent - particularly Aeris. Standing his ground, he heard Elena scream "Get her into the truck!" As gunfire echoed off the snow banks around him.

A hand fell on his shoulder, and his vision morphed back. Yuffie was standing beside him. "Did they get her?" Yuffie asked.

As the smoke cleared and the battle ended, he saw a helicopter taking off - away from a parked truck - just outside of town. He could make out the faint pink silhouette of Aeris inside. "It appears so."

"What do we do?"

"Rufus and the others will be heading to the Northern crater... towards Sephiroth. They'll be taking Aeris there."

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"I don't. But it's our window to get her back. Otherwise she'll have to wait. Stopping Sephiroth is our main priority." He turned his back to leave. "We have to find Cloud."

In the helicopter Aeris found herself seated next to two blondes. Elena and Scarlett. She turned to the former. "I'm not fragile." She informed her.

Elena ignored her, but Scarlett didn't. "Oh, really... Hmm." She grabbed her by the jaw examining her features. "Look pretty fragile to me." She said pushing her away. "Just like a damsel in distress."

"You have materia?" Aeris asked Elena. "I saw you use it on Cloud. Darkness? Right? It was very impressive... I have some materia of my own..."

"I know" Elena said, annoyed at how difficult it was becoming to ignore her. Who knew this goody-two-shoes could be so difficult? "We took it from you."

"Yes, but you forgot one." She informed them. They both looked past her at each other. Stunned by the revelation. "Do you want to guess which one it is?"

An earth defying high pitch roar scorched through the sound of the beating rotor blades.

Bahamut.

Aeris ran toward the open door of the helicopter leaping out into the open air. She could feel the blades beating back her hair, the wind flapping against it, her clothes beating against her soft skin. It was terrifying, yet completely exhilarating.

She free-fell for almost a minute before opening her eyes. When she finally did; she saw something ridged coming up at her. She crossed her hands in front of her, 'the ground!!' She was going to die!

WHAP!

The wings flew open and she landed none too softly on the dragon's back. He took her straight on ahead. His beating wings caused the snow around them to swirl and collect and shoot all around. The tiny snowflakes whipped against her face stinging her lightly. Ice crystals floating above, below and around her. She held her head up higher! She'd never felt anything so amazing! She let out an excited laughter, that grew continuously louder. Because she was alive, because she had made it to safety, and because it was fun. She'd never had this much fun. She had escaped! She was free!

"WHOO-HOO!"


	4. The Elements of Control

Cloud awoke on a bearskin rug. A very large bearskin rug - in fact it likely didn't come from a bear, or at least one bear. There was a nice orange brown glow you get in a lighted cabin. The smell of fine would filled his nostrils. The only thing unruly about his awakening. Was his back, it didn't feel to good. And then he remembered. 'AERIS!' He shot up from the floor.

Holzoff the owner of the cabin was looking out the window, pondering to himself. When Cloud's sudden burst shook him from his silence. The floor underneath Cloud creaked and the man; up the stairs, looked over the edge to the lower floor. "You awake?" He asked. The man came down the steps to assess the young man. "You collapsed in the snow. It's a miracle you're all right." Cloud smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "My names Halzoff. I've been living here 20 years now. If you're planning to head north, you'd better listen to my story." Cloud was unsure about the man, he seemed nice enough, but the forceful 'you'd better' made him feel uncomfortable - little did he know, it was meant to. "Why don't we go to the next room and sit down."

In the other room was all of the members of the group - besides Aeris. Cid put up his hand to greet him as he came in. Nearly nobody looked at him. His eyes fell across the small crowd. "Where's Aeris?" They all looked at each other. To his annoyance, it seemed as though they were dodging the question. In reality, they were wondering who was going to tell him. "Well?"

Feeling the weight of responsibility Vincent opened up to him, "She was taken by Shinra. They flew her out by helicopter."

"You said she'd be safe." Cloud reminded him.

"I was blinded by Elena's magic - just like you. I couldn't risk firing my guns. By the time my eyesight returned, she was gone."

"Where did they take her?"

Red XIII; "It seems that Shinra has taken Cid's airship into the Northern Crater. They might be trying to stop Sephiroth. If their orders were to bring Aeris to the President then that's where they'd have take her."

"Are you sure?"

"Think I don't recognize my own goddamn ship!?" Cid grunted, "It's bad enough knowing those sons of bitches got their greasy hands flying the pretty lady."

"When we get there, we do everything we can to get Aeris back. Saving her is as much a priority as stopping Sephiroth from using Meteor... We're not going to lose another one of us."

"You ever hear about those who challenged the cliff?" Halzoff asked them as he set hot cocoa on the table. The only two who reached for it are; Yuffie, who drinks it up quickly. And Red XIII who clasped the cylindrical glass in his mouth and wandered away with it. Barret eventually grabs a glass, but barely touches it.

"No." Cloud said. In fact until recently he hadn't even heard of Gaea's cliff.

"There's an old legend that says something fell from the sky here a long time ago. That's what's supposed to have pushed the land up and formed this cliff. 30 Years ago, Yamski and I took this cliff on to see what was on the other side. But, we weren't prepared for it. We did expect the temperature to be low but... On that cliff, there's always a biting cold wind. The cold air lowers your body temperature. Yamski, was below me. He cut his own rope... ...and I didn't even notice... Ever since then, I've settled here... continuing to challenge the cliff, and provide warning and shelter to my fellow climbers. If you're going to climb the cliff, there's 2 precautions you'll need to take. First, check your route... It's hard to find because of all the snow. Second, once you get to a ledge, make sure you warm yourselves up.

Understand?" The man was genuinely concerned and had good heart. That wasn't hard to tell.

"Yes." Cloud told him. There was no getting around it, no matter how dangerous anyone told them it would be. If climbing the cliffs was the only way to get to Sephiroth then that's what would have to be done.

"You must've used a lot of energy getting up here... Better get some rest before you head out." 'Didn't you carry me?' Cloud thought scratching his head. He must've gotten enough rest by now, he ignored that, if this was really that dangerous, then it probably paid to be as well rested as possible.

The next morning the rest of the group was waiting for Cloud outside, in the biting cold. Apperently the had gathered out there because - knowing he was going to wake up soon - they wanted to mentally prepare themselves for the cold.

Barret went to Cloud, "You know, I've been thinkin'...?"

"What is it?" Cloud wondered.

"...Seein' a place like this, makes you realize how awesome nature is. But, if anyone ever told me to live here, I'd tell them to ...you know... I tell you one thing though, if I did have to live here I'd change things around 'n' make it better. I guess the total opposite of this would be...... Midgar. When you think of it that way, Shinra don't seem so bad... Uuuuuurrrrrgh!! What the hell am I sayin'!? The Shinra, not bad!?"

Cloud was silently amused by Barret's outburst, "We'll secure the route. You come up later" He was speaking to Vincent, Cait Sith, and Red XIII. As there was a question of how the other two would be able to get up the Cliff in the first place. - They weren't climbing. Vincent insisted that 'somehow' he'd get them up there, and it was left at that. Although it was likely the clunky mog would get left behind. Cait Sith assured them that it was perfectly capable of operating on it's own, and returning to the group unscathed.

Cloud being the leader began climbing first. His muscles ached from the very outset. It was a nerve racking ordeal to say the least.

"I bet I'd make it to the top before you old timer." Yuffie, jabbing her proverbial fingers into Cid's ribs once again.

"I bet if we had a shut up contest you'd lose before it began." He snapped back. "...I ain't that old anyway." he added

"Whatever grandpa."

"Damn I gotta stop smokin'. Lung capacity ain't makin' this easier. You know?"

"Try doing it with one arm" Barret argued.

"You can't say nothin'... you got a pickaxe strapped to your wrist!"

"It still ain't easy to climb with this. Once it's dug in, it's hard to get out."

"Well I'll cry a tear for ya'" Cid joked. "Poor Barret, stuck to a mountain while everyone else tumbles to their death."

"Sound's like the story of my life actually." Barret said swinging the axe into the ice.

Yuffie was starting to have a hard time traversing the cliff side. Her muscle capacity was barely up to the task and she feared falling. The cold was not a natural climate for her and her nerves were on edge. She had been taught mind over matter, and several elements that helped her in her journey. But she was young an inexperienced. She didn't have a handle on all those things. And this experience was frighteningly new for her.

Her foot slid off of an ice coated rock, her fingernails scraped against the cliff face but it was too late. She continued to plummet, even after her hand found that very same rock. It wasn't until the large warm hand of Barret wrapped around her wrist that she new she would survive. "I got ya'" He said lifting her up.

"Looks like that pickaxe came in handy." Cloud said looking below.

There was a place for them to rest about halfway up. Cloud went to check up on Yuffie. Who shivered and shook with a fierceness unmatched by the rest of the group. Despite how cold it was. "What's wrong?" He asked her.

'Isn't it obvious' she thought, there was no expression of it though - it was too cold for that. "I can't feel my face... my legs. Cloud, I'm scared..." Tears formed around the sides of her lids. They immediately crusted, turning to ice.

He rubbed her shoulders. "Everything going to be all right..." he moved his hands to her face. Realizing that she'd said she was numb there. "Warmer?" She nodded. "I'm going to keep warming your face, but you need to move your legs, okay. If you keep the muscles in your legs moving they'll warm themselves."

"Okay." she said jogging in place. After a while she let out a very childlike laugh, half reflective of her fear, and anxiety, and half of the comfort, support, and ridiculousness, of the situation. "I feel like an idiot." She told him candidly.

"We're just doing what we have to."

"Thanks." she said looking into his eyes. "They were warmer than she would've ever thought, 'for such a cold person'. "Why can't we use fire to warm ourselves up?" She asked.

"That would exude more energy than the climb itself and we don't have the ethers." he said in point of fact.

"I know. It was joke." she said, smiling. "I really wish we could... - I've been thinking a lot about Tifa. I almost died back there right. I thought I was going to freeze to death here. - I don't want to die, I'm afraid of dying. If something happened to me, would you guys care. Would you be all broken up like you were about Tifa?"

"Of course." He said moving his hands away. She stopped jogging in place too.

"Did you love her?" She asked. She simply wanted to know. They had always seemed so close, and her death affected them both most deeply.

He couldn't answer her. He wasn't even sure if he knew. In his heart he did. But outside of that, it was far too complicated. 'She was my friend.' He thought, but he couldn't even bring himself to say that. "We should get going."

"Why don't you warm me up big fella?" Cid's voice; heard faintly in the distance. Barret laughed at Cid's mockery.

"How's the gunshot wound?" Cloud asked Barret.

"Just fine." He said showing it off. "Cure healed it up nicely, but still, looks like I'll have a scar once it's all over with."

"Knowing you, you did that on purpose."

"You know me. I go an image to protect." he said with a smile.

"All right everyone... let's mosey." Cloud, kept up the cliff side.

When they got to the top they saw that somehow, Vincent, Red XIII, and Cait Sith had somehow all made it up before them.

Cloud was astonished, "How... did you guys make it up here before us?"

Vincent just looked at him and said. "It was a combination of 25% magic. 25% Skill. And 50% pure mystery."

"I didn't know you had a sense of humor." Cloud said to Vincent who immediately responded:

"Who was joking."

Moving forward, just beyond them was the Northern Crater itself. A giant whirlwind of splashing Mako energy was in the center of it. An awesome sight to behold. A green, bright, sparkling tornado with swirling light above, in the same colors. - The Northern Lights.

"An old crater..." Cloud said. "Something fell out of the sky and crashed down here...... just like that old hermit said. - Leaving a scar on the planet." Just thinking about it took his breath away, or maybe it was the thin air.

"So all this energy's gathered here for the planet to heal itself?" Barret speculated.

"Sephiroth took that energy and is trying to use Meteor. Next time the wound won't be so small."

"Do you think Aeris'll be there?" Red XIII anxiously hoped out loud.

"Hopefully" Cloud said reassuringly.

Delirious from using an exorbitant amount of energy to repeatedly cast Bahamut. Tired, and cold, Aeris, was in a severely weakened state. She had spent the entire night searching for the rest of the group with no results. And she had no ethers to replenish the energy spent on casting spells. Her feet were sore, and her energy was so low she could hardly see. She stumbled listlessly across the broken landscape.

Rufus spotted the flower girl out the window of the Highwind. "So I finally found you." He said "Get her."

"There's no way," the pilot informed him we can't land anywhere near her or we risk crashing the ship."

"Her friends will find her and when they do they'll bring her straight to us." Scarlett told him.

"If you hadn't let her get away in the first place....." He said pouring salt on her wounds.

"This is the Promised Land the President has been searching for!!" Heidegger said, looking out the window in awe.

"But, I'll be the one who gets it. Sorry, old man."

"Heh heh heh...... That land is no one's. It's where the Reunion will take place...... They will all gather here...... I wonder if we'll see...... Sephiroth?" Hojo said laughing maniacally to himself.

Rufus couldn't help but look out the window once more at Aeris. "The girl is half dead." He explained to Hojo. "How does this effect our plans? Won't it cause problems."

"Quite the opposite actually." He pointed out. "Initially a baby was the perfect choice because it's oncoming susceptibility to new elements was stronger than that of say... an older male - particularly new organisms. If she remains that way, especially with a broken down immune system, it might even work better... heh heh heh"

"Or she might die." Rufus countered.

"Possibly. But there's no reason to be alarmed. Sephiroth has already lead us to your 'promised land'...... and in that event, the girl's usefulness only extends to her DNA. - We won't need her alive to study her. - In a cloud, when a positive charge and a negative charge build up to a certain point, it creates a bolt of lighting. That's what we're doing here." he says almost giddily, "we're going to unlock the secrets of the universe and tap into an endless energy resource. And with it, turn a new Shinra weapon against our enemies."

"You really believe she can be manipulated?"

"If she retains her behavioral modes, yes. I'd say easily manipulated through intimidation. More so with further experiments. That's my hypothesis, and this is our only chance to test it. We need to better understand the elements of control, much like this reunion; This kind of manipulation... would be far more powerful in the hands of Shinra than simply trying to unlock the powers of the Ancients in modern humans. - Wouldn't you agree?"

The President stood, again, looking out, arms crossed behind him. He turned mutedly in Hojo's direction "Yes I would..." he agreed.


	5. Missing Link

AVALANCHE pushed forward through the mountainside. Past the raging winds and roaring lightning bolts, the rough terrain and the rougher monsters.

At one point they witnessed a group of Sephiroth clones throwing themselves off a cliff. 'Why could they be doing that?' Cloud wondered. 'Why would Jenova make them to do that?'

They followed the long white hair and the flowing black cape of their target, until they reached a point. A point where they finally caught up to him. Sephiroth stood in front of two of his 'clones'. "This is the end... for all of you." He swung his sword slashing them both across the chest, then they flew off both edges of the bridge like precipice.

"Sephiroth!!!" Cloud ran up closer, but kept a safe distance.

"This IS the end." Yuffie declared.

Vincent looked on silently... His face said it all. There was something he didn't trust.

"You're right. This is the end of this bodies usefulness." Sephiroth's legs transformed into dark black shadow, it extended up the length of his body, then again, only this time it engulfed him in nothingness and he was gone.

"He disappeared!?" Cloud scanned the area waiting for him to pop up at any moment.

"That's not Sephiroth." Vincent said quietly.

'Our purpose is to deliver the Black Materia to our master.' Said a voice in Cloud's head - or was it a legion of voices. "Our?" Cloud said looking for the source. "Those who carry Jenova's cells.' Came the answer. "Master...!?" 'Of course... Sephiroth. Heh, heh, heh...'

Suddenly Sephiroth appeared above their heads and swung his sword, those not within range of the blade were hit with a mighty blast of magic. Red XIII was almost sent off the edge, he clung on with both claws.

Cloud manages to stand, turning to Sephiroth - who had his back to him. He swung around. And before Cloud knew it Sephiroth was gone and Jenova had taken his place. Very similar to the one in the City of the Ancients, only more of a gray and purple beast.

Cloud immediately cast reflect. Not soon after Jenova cast silence on him, it reflected back, but had no effect. He drew his sword. And a blast of Fire shot from one of the appendages of her wing-like tentacles. He rolled forward, onto one knee narrowly avoiding it. Keeping his sword up. She blasted it again, and he sidestepped it, trying to move forward, but a third blast came right for him and he shielded himself. The back blast slid over the edges of the blade, he could feel the heat touch his face, and floating ember sparkles afloat in front him.

Yuffie lifted Red XIII up the rest of the way wrapping both arms around his, clasped at his elbows. "Ooof... Yyou..are HEAVY!" She fell over on her backside. As she was now face to face with him he said;

"Thanks." He took off running in Jenova's direction but a big brown boot impeded his path. Barret held his gun over at Jenova's face. She was a distance aways. "Let's see you deal with this you ugly mother$#&AAAGGGHHH!" He began to fire in her direction. At least two of the rounds met their target, but then one of the 'arms' reached farther than he could have imagined and knocked him over with a single WHIP!

Cloud reached her, and cut off one of the tentacles at the end of her right 'wing'. A red flash came out of her mouth, blinding him.

The slots on Cait Sith's Moogle run their course, and he's ecstatic when he sees the result. "You want your meteor, I'll give you your METEOR!!" He reached his hands up and through the sky came great rocks, that pounded away at her flesh, ripping into her. Chunks fly from her body and go with the rocks smashing into the dirt. Bloodied and beaten but still standing the creature, steps forward in a slump and a grunt.

"Hey..." Red XIII looked over at Yuffie, "Let's go!"

She nods, and with that they charge after the injured monster. Yuffie drew her weapon. A bolt of lightning struck it and it boomeranged behind her smashing into the dirt. Yuffie stopped. The tentacles wrapped around the neck and chest of Cloud and Yuffie. Red XIII continued on, jumping unto her 'shoulder'. She resisted him while still holding onto the other two, when he tore off a piece of her, a blast of energy sent him away; with something between a dog yelp and a lions growl. He landed on the barely conscious Cid. "Damn dog, I was just about to help!"

An extra few more extremities extended from the Jenova's back and around, face-front; for Yuffie and Cloud. These split open to reveal teeth inside and an extremely sharp looking tongue that protruded in front of their face.

BLAM! A bullet hole ripped into the side of Jenova's head. BLAM! Another into an already gaping hole of her body. BLAM A third rips open her chest, until it's large enough to look through. Vincent holds the smoking gun. With the sharp golden gauntlet-claw on his other hand he points to his head. Twice, then to her. BLAM, the gun goes off a final time, and she keeled over. Cloud took his blade from the dirt. And swung it with one arm severing her head from her body.

Cid stepped over as the party gathered around, except Red XIII who stayed back, still a bit tired, and injured.

"Who's injured raise your hand." Cloud asked. Nearly all of them raised them, an out of breath Cloud waves away this nonsense, "Okay you can put your hands down, now."

The body started to twitch erratically and Cid instinctively stabbed into it with his trident. He gave an amused laugh, and pointed down at the corpse. "I killed." He asserted with a stupid grin. They all looked at him. "What?"

The body around the weapon bubbled until it completely liquefied into a pool of black goo. In the center: the Black Materia.

"Jenova's cells... hmmm. So that's what this is all about. The Jenova Reunion... Vincent was right."

"You said 'not Sephiroth'," Red XIII said addressing Vincent, "how did you know that?"

"I could sense it. Nothing else."

"So if that wasn't Sephiroth, have we ever even met him? Who've we been chasing all this time? Sephiroth or this thing? He could be anywhere..." Red XIII speculated.

"No, he isn't." Cloud said retracting his sword. "I'll explain later. Right now, the only thing I'm thinking about is beating Sephiroth."

"So Sephiroth is..."

"He's here, the real Sephiroth is just beyond here." Cloud lifted the Materia out of the muck, it slid off it like water off a duck's back - easier in fact. "It's both incredibly wicked and cruel. But he's releasing a powerfully strong will from deep within this planet's wound." He turned around to face the group. "...The Black Materia is back in our hands. Now all we have to do is defeat Sephiroth and that'll be the end of it."

Cloud started to move onward in his journey, he only got a few feet, when a bear sized hand landed on his shoulder, "Wait a damn minute!" Barret scolded, "Remember what happened last time you had that thing?"

Cloud pushed forward, he Red XIII and Vincent came to a cliff face with a kind of force field - a wind trap and a continuos series of lightning bolts, apparently cast by magic.

"What now?" Red XIII asked.

"We jump." Cloud said affirmatively. He braced himself, tensing his legs, he could feel his shoulder muscles tighten as. "One, two, - three" they jumped at the same time and BAM! They are struck with lightning.

But they feel no pain.

When the bright white light went away, they were in Nibelheim

"What's going on?" Red XIII asked.

"Don't worry guys, Sephiroth is near. Anything could happen." Cloud explained.

"Nibelheim..." Vincent said, eyes on Shinra Mansion. "Why here?"

"This is an illusion Sephiroth made up. He's trying to confuse us. It'll be all right. As long as we know it's an illusion, there's nothing to be afraid of. Come on let's keep going."

"Right," Red XIII said. "let's go."

Red and Cloud both turn to leave but Vincent refocused himself in the other direction.

"Vincent...?" Cloud trying to urge him along.

"Look." Vincent said motioning his head toward the road.

Sephiroth appeared on the horizon stepping into the center at the gate of the small town. "All right, let's go."

Three other figures appear from the light, two Shinra Soldiers and a spikey haired SOLDIER wielding a Buster Sword. But this soldier is different than Cloud.

Vincent turned to Cloud, "Isn't this from your story?"

"This is so stupid..."

"That doesn't look like you Cloud." Red tells him.

"It isn't. It's a false memory cooked up by Sephiroth.

The Sephiroth illusion laughed to himself, the way Cloud remembered it, then every person from the illusion disappeared.

"Why would Sephiroth show you this in particular?" Vincent asked.

The illusion now turned into Nibelheim, in flames - torched by Sephiroth.

Red XIII was in awe of it.

"...This is what acutally happened five years ago." Cloud explained. "But... it's probably not me that's going to come out of the Shinra Mansion. He's going to try and show us another stupid illusion." The black haired SOLDIER comes running out of the mansion and Cloud pointed, "See... didn't I tell you?"

Zangan; "Hey it's you! You're still sane, right? Then come over here and help me."

"I have a very bad feeling about this." Vincent told Cloud.

Zangan again, "I'll check this house. You check that one over there!"

"Like I said," Cloud clarified, "It's just an illusion, there's no need to be scared." Cloud raised his voice, when he did it echoed as if in a cavern, apparently not confined to the world of the illusion. "Sephiroth! I know you're listening! I know what you want to say!" he said searching through the fire, "That I wasn't in Nibelheim five years ago. That's it, isn't it?"

Sephiroth appeared in front of the doorway of Cloud's mother's home. "I see you finally understand."

Knowing that Sephiroth couldn't be any less of an illusion than everything else Cloud approached him without hesitation. "What you're trying to say is that you want to confuse me, right? But...even making me see those things won't affect me. I remember it all. The heat of the fire... the pain in my body... and in my heart!"

Sephiroth mockingly shook his head with a smirk. "Oh, is that so? You are just a puppet... You have no heart... and cannot feel any pain... How can there be any meaning in the memory of such a being? What I have shown you is reality. What you remember, that is the illusion."

Cloud shrugged in annoyance.

"Do you understand?" Sephiroth asked him.

"I don't want to understand. But, I want to ask you one thing. Why...why are you doing this?"

Sephiroth teleports from in front of Cloud to behind him, "Ha, ha, ha...... I want to take you back to your true self. The one who gave me the Black Materia that day... Who would have ever thought a failed experiment would prove so useful? Hojo would die if he knew."

"Hojo!? What does he have to do with me!?"

"Five years ago you were... constructed by Hojo, piece by piece, right after Nibelheim was burnt. A puppet made up of vibrant Jenova cells, the knowledge, and the power of Mako. An incomplete Sephiroth-clone. Not even given a number...That is your reality."

"That's bullshit, I have all my memories, memories of growing up with Tifa... You can't take THAT away from me! Being kids together, the night I promised her......"

"Ha,ha,ha...Tifa... I could show you what was in her heart, what she knew when she was killed. - That she never told you!"

"You LIAR! She's dead!! And now you want me to believe she lied to me!? She's dead and you killed her!!! I'll never believe a word you say!"

Red XIII becomes concerned for Cloud. "...Cloud."

"Sometimes, I have trouble figuring out who I am. There's a lot of things muddled up in my memories. But I KNOW I was there in Nibelheim; Tifa was there. She said 'Long time no see, Cloud' I remember that! I grew up with her." he looked into the sky, "Tifa I wish you were here. I need you to tell me what the truth is." he had what felt (and sounded) like an electrical surge in his brain. And nearly fell over.

"You have to pull yourself together!" Red XIII insisted.

"You can't blame Tifa for not telling you the truth." Sephiroth said from the fiery steps, "The ability to change one's looks, voice, and words, is the power of Jenova. Inside of you, Jenova merged with Tifa's memories, and created you. Out of Tifa's memory...... A boy named Cloud might've just been apart of them. Cloud... Ha,ha,ha... Oh excuse me. You never had a name..."

Cloud stood shaking his head, "Shut up... Sephiroth."

"You still don't understand then..." he laughed in amazement at Cloud's ignorance. "Do you remember the picutre that we took before we headed for Mt. Nibel? Now what happened to that picture?" He walked over to the body of the photographer on the ground. "Is this it? Do you want to see it? It turned out pretty good."

"You want me to play the little game of looking at an imaginary picutre you pulled from an illusion? Fine." He looked at the picture, once again a black spikey haired SOLDIER.

"Just as I thought. This picture is fake. The truth is in my memory. Five years ago, I came back to Nibelheim, to inspect the reactor. I was sixteen. The town hadn't changed at all. What did I do...? Oh, yeah I saw my mom. I saw the people of the town. I went to Tifa's room. I spent the night, and went to the reactor in Mt. Nibel. I was excited about it. Because this was my first mission after becoming First Class in SOLDIER." he shook his head, "SOLDIER, First Class?... SOLDIER? When did I enter SOLDIER? How did I join SOLDIER?" He clutched his head, keeling over, "Why... why can't I remember? I'm, I'm... That's right... I didn't have to worry about it because I was..." Cloud finally stood straight up, calmer, but his eyes were in a haze... "Vincent, Red XIII, let's go I'm alright."


End file.
